REVIEW: Reading Symphony's New Years Eve shows it's not that far apart from Billy Joel, Elton John

By Steve SiegelSpecial to The Morning Call

Reading Symphony Orchestra rang in the New Year on Wednesday at Reading's Santander Performing Arts Center not with the usual tired Strauss waltzes but with the rockin’ music of Billy Joel and Elton John.

The rousing pop performance drew a near-capacity crowd of more than 1,700 who clearly preferred hearing “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues” to “The Blue Danube.”

Of course, the orchestra had a little help from some friends: six members of the classic rock ensemble Jeans ‘n Classics, in its fourth New Year’s Eve collaboration with the RSO. The nearly two-hour program featured such favorites as “Piano Man,” “You May Be Right,” “My Life” and “Philadelphia Freedom.”

The classic rock-meets-symphony orchestra formula is certainly not new, but rarely have I heard as successful a melding of rock musicians and symphony musicians, with perfect balance of sound and aesthetic chemistry.

Jeans ‘n Classics lead singer, Jean Meilleur, could emulate Billy Joel’s soulful delivery as remarkably as Elton John’s funky twang. Meilleur neither clones nor mimics as he conjures the spirit of those classic voices with his own distinctive sound. Thoroughly engaging as the evening’s master of cenemonies, he would give background on the songs as well as clown around with RSO conductor Andrew Constantine.

What really impressed was how well integrated the orchestra and its own soloists were with the rock band. Songs such as “Movin’ Out” and “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” were especially successful in combining Meilleur’s strong vocals with the orchestra’s solid brass, and Joel's “Always a Woman” featured lovely accompaniment by RSO flutist Kim Reighley.

Elton John’s “Tonight: Prelude” which segued into “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” showcased the RSO in all of its pop/classical glory, with lush strings playing behind Paulton’s expressive piano. RSO trumpeter Frank Ferraro Jr. played Stevie Wonder’s harmonica solo in “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues” with limpid finesse, and the orchestra’s woodwinds lent warmth to a wistful “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.”

While it’s unlikely that your typical orchestra concertmaster will ever achieve rock musician status, it certainly looked like the RSO’s Christopher Collins Lee was on his way to stardom when he stepped up to join the band in “Piano Man.”

With engaging vocals by Paulton and Meilleur on top of exquisite piano work and harmonica, Lee’s soulful violin solos added a new dimension to this oft-heard ballad.

The ecstatic applause was well-deserved for this lovely melding of two worlds of music which, it turns out, really aren’t too far apart after all.